Port infrastructure pricing policy and practice: a case study of Australia and New Zealand seaports

This paper examines the infrastructure charges of seaports and port pricing policies in Australia and New Zealand. Its analysis covers 40 seaports and takes into account their administrative roles as well as geographical factors. An analysis of the effectiveness of port pricing policies and their relationship with port reforms is also conducted. The paper finds the existence of disparities in the growth rates of port infrastructure tariffs across ports in both countries. Port infrastructure tariffs have grown considerably over the study period, but at different rates. Port pricing policies also vary substantially across the states and between the two countries, notwithstanding the fact that the ports have different traffic volumes. Infrastructure pricing practice is affected by port reform and administrative regime. While corporatised ports appear to have high growth rates of their infrastructure charges, commercialised and privatised ports tend to maintain lower growth rates of infrastructure tariffs.